Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a common medical problem in horses. The prevalence of EGUS ranges from 60 to 90% among performance horses. Ulcers occur primarily in the non-glandular (squamous) portion of the stomach of a horse due to its lack of resistance to the erosive effects of gastric acids, including, hydrochloric, volatile fatty and bile acids. Horses with EGUS usually perform poorly, which makes it a significant economical problem within the horse industry.
Although several pharmaceutical treatments are currently available, these treatments are expensive. Besides, it has been found that certain therapeutic agents reduce the acidic environment of the stomach, which may affect digestion of the horses. For example, the FDA-approved pharmaceutical agent GASTROGARD® (omeprazole; Merial Ltd., Duluth, Ga.), a proton pump inhibitor, has been shown effective in treating equine ulcers. However, an omeprazole treatment is generally accompanied with an increased gastric juice pH value in horses, thus possibly negatively affecting digestion of forage and feed.
Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative methods and/or therapeutics that are effective in alleviating, treating, or preventing an ulcer-associated condition (e.g., Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome) in horses. Preferably, the new method and/or therapeutic would also offer a less expensive alternative and/or supplement to the current pharmaceutical treatments.